The Arts Job
by Piecesof16
Summary: The Leverage team is in New York, helping a band, but they get caught conning. Bad summary, I know... please read?
1. It starts

_**The Arts job**_

**A/N: My first FanFic, yaay. I hope you like^^ please read and revieuw^^**

**Parings: Nate & Sophie, Castle & Beckett**

**Rating: T, to be on the safe side…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, I don't own Leverage, heck, I don't even own Eri and Risa!!**

**Spoilers: for Castle; post 'The Fifth Bullet', For Leverage; Well, Sophie's still here…… So I'd say before, or just after 'The 2 Crew Live Job'**

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

The Leverage team was in New York for a con. A 16 year old girl had heard about them from friends, and had called them for help. Together with 4 of her best friends, she'd formed a band. They went to a man called Max Corwell, who promised them he'd make them famous. They had been paying him, but as it turned out, he didn't do anything. When they asked their money back, they were laughed out of the room. Hey lost all their savings, and had nothing left but their instruments. When they knew they didn't stand a chance, one of the girls remembered something about a Robin Hood-like team, so they were contacted.

The cons went quite smooth. The plan was to get a new talent to sign a contract, and take the mark down that way. Because the only 'talent' they had was Sophie, they'd need an outsider's help. Risa, the client, offered the help of her younger niece, Eri Ogawa. Eri was a decent guitarist, but she wasn't good enough for their band. Luckily, Eri was happy she could help, and accepted the offer immediately. Risa hadn't told the mark anything about her younger niece, so she'd be a perfect fit for the role. Or, so they thought. Without them knowing, the mark had rented a private detective. The detective found out about Eri's relationship with the clients, and that's why, when the leverage team arrived at a 'meeting', they were unpleasantly surprised.

"They'll come, right?" Eri asked Nate and Sophie, carefully holding her guitar. Nate nodded. "He may be a greedy bastard, but he isn't stupid. It's a normal talk about your 'contract' and the money you're supposed to get." Eri nodded, but didn't seem calmed down. Sophie smiled. "Don't worry Eri, if they've got manpower, we've always got Eliot." Eri looked up to Eliot, who grinned at her, and she sighed relieved. Impatiently, she jumped from one leg to the other. "He's late." Nate nodded, and pressed the coms. "Parker, what's your status?" "Almost finished." Parker replied. "It's a really old-fashioned safe, easy." "Okay, make it quick." Nate ordered her. "Sure thing boss." Parker grinned, and continued cracking the safe. Nate sighed, and checked his watch. Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and 2 armored men ran in. Eri shrieked in terror, and hid behind Sophie and Nate. Eliot kicked the guns out of their hand, and started fighting the men. "Eri, get out of here." Nate ordered her. Eri nodded, and ran towards the door. As she exited, they heard Hardison's voice over the coms. "Emm, guys, maybe you should get out of there. There're 3 police cars parked in front, and the cops are running into the building." Nate nodded. "Sophie, Eliot, let's go, NOW!" He shouted. They ran towards the door, and as they opened it, they faced 5 agents. The one in the front spoke first. "NYPD," "And just NY." They heared someone in the back say. The agent with short, red hair in front sighed. "NYPD, we got a call that someone was being harassed here." She peeked into the room, and saw the 2 beat-up men lying on the floor. "I've seen enough, you're under arrest, all of you."

~TBC~

**A/N: OMG, did half of the leverage team just get arrested?? What kind o writer am I? And What the HELL happened to Eri?? If she's missing, I'll be killed by my best friend…… And if she's dead, she'll kill me 'till I'm DEAD. That even WORSE O_O**

**Anyway, I think we can all guess who NYPD and JUST NY were *eyebrowwiggle***


	2. The Arrest

**A/N: Okay, so the Leverage team got caught by NYPD. How did they get to the building? Are it Even NYPD and just NY I'm talking about here? Where did Eri go? Did they really get arrested? Find out in this chapter +.+**

**Disclaimer: … do I HAVE to… it hurts… I don't own a single thing *starts crying***

**Chapter 2: The Arrest**

Detective Kate Beckett was standing near the espresso machine, taking a cup from the machine. The espresso machine was a golden gift from Castle, The coffee was so much better than the one from the old machine. Yet, she'd make sure to never admit that. He's got such a huge ego already, she doesn't want to make it worse. She took a sip from her cup and walked back to her desk. She wasn't surprised to see Castle sitting in her chair, and she groaned. Why did he always have to make her life pure hell? Yet, she had to admit she was a little worried when he got that offer… Nah, what was she thinking? Being in love with Castle? Maybe when hell freezes over. "Castle, get. Out. Of. My. Chair." She said, looking at him. He grinned. "Well, detective Beckett. Ever heard of the word please?" "I've got a gun." He smiled, and got up. "Works too." She smiled, and sat down in her chair.

At that moment, her phone rang. She picked up. "Detective Beckett….What, yeah, be right there." She took one last sip and threw the empty coffee cup into the trash can. "Dead body?" Castle asked hopeful. She shook her head. "Harassment. There were guns involved, let's go." She grabbed her badge, gun and coat and tapped Ryan and Esposito on the shoulder. "Guys, just got a call. There've been harassment complaints at 33b Rose street. We've got to go, there're guns involved." Ryan shrugged. "Something out of the usual, nice." The both get their gun and badge. "Hurry up guys. It isn't just guns, there's a little girl there as well!" Beckett shouted, and ran towards her car. Ryan and Esposito switched looks, and quickly grabbed their coats, as they also left for their cars.

Beckett ran towards her car, and got in. As she turned to her right, she saw Castle sitting next to her. "Oh no, you're not coming." She told him. "Why not? I already saved your life once. Plus, I've got to do my research." "You've been doing research for almost 2 years now. Don't you think you've got enough information already?" "Yes, but since I've been contracted for at least 3 more books, I've got to keep doing my research until I'm finished." She sighed, and started the car. "Okay, but you're staying in the car." He chuckled. "Yeah, we both know how that worked out." "I'm serious Castle, I don't want to be the one to tell Alexis her father died, or got shot. And I definitely don't want to be the one telling her I killed you. So just do as I say." "Scouts honor." Beckett sighed, driving her way to the building.

When they arrived, Beckett got out of the car, and put on her bulletproof vest. She met up with Ryan and Esposito in front of the building. They were joined by Kensington, another agent who happened to be around at the moment. "Beckett, Ryan, Esposito." He nodded at them. "What've we got?" "2 hostages, 3 attackers, guns involved… and a 14 year old girl."Beckett replied. Ökay, what are we waiting for?" Kensington said, and they rushed in.

Meanwhile, Castle was still trying to put n his bulletproof 'WRITER' vest. When he finally managed to put it on, he ran inside, and took the stairs with 2 steps at a time. Suddenly, a girl bumped into him. "Ouch!" She shrieked, as she fell on the floor. He looked at her, to see if she was okay. She looked quite weird. Short, blue hair, with pink highlights. She was carrying a guitar with her, which wasn't broken in any way.

"Oops, I'm sorry sir, I wasn't watching my step." She said, looking at Castle. He grinned. "It's okay." He said, and helped her up. "Why were you running anyway?" He wondered, looking at the girl. "Well, I was in a hurry." She said. He could see she was lying, but he had to admit she was pretty good at it. "I'm sure you were." He said. "Now, I've got to go, I'm late as well." He patted her on the head, and rushed away.

Just as Beckett opened the door, he arrived in the hallway. "NYPD" Beckett said. "And just NY."He chimed in. Beckett sighed annoyed. "NYPD, we got a call that someone was being harassed here." She peeked into the room, and saw 2 beat-up men lying on the floor. "I've seen enough, you're under arrest, all of you." She said, and got handcuffs, just like Ryan and Esposito.

Eliot turned to Nate. "I can knock them out any time, you want me to?" He muttered. Nate softly shook his head as they got cuffed. "We also got a call about a little girl being here." Beckett said. "Short, blue hair, pink highlights, carries a guitar." Nate, Sophie and Eliot sighed relieved. This meant they hadn't caught Eri, yet. Suddenly, Castle coughed. "Well, I happened to run into a girl that fit that description. Or… she ran into me." "WHAT?!" Beckett shouted. "You let her go?!" Castle nodded. "How should I've known she was a suspect. She seemed this innocent." Beckett sighed. "That's the problem with her, Castle. She's too innocent." Sophie frowned… Castle, she'd heard that name before. As she looked at Nate and Eliot, she saw that they were surprised to hear that name as well. Beckett sighed. "Let's get them in the car, take them to the precinct. We'll discuss this later."


	3. Eri on the Run

**Chapter 3: Eri on the run**

**A/N: Okay, so what REALLY happened to Eri. What were her thoughts, and where is she now? Plus, what happened to Parker and Hardison?**

**Disclaimer: not mine.**

**Eri's POV**

DAMN, that was NOT Max Corwell. Those were 2 heavy men. 2 heavy men, with guns. Big, scary guns. "Eri, get out of here, now!" Nate ordered me. Well, he didn't have to say that twice. For some reason, I don't like guns. And 2 of them… 2 big ones, loaded, safety off… I shivered by the thought of what they could've done. I left the room as quickly as possible. At the hallway, I hesitated. Nate, Sophie and Eliot were still in there. But Nate was right, Eliot'd be able to handle this. From what I've heard, he'd been in worse situation.

I ran down the stairs and crashed into someone. Great, just my luck. Clumsy as always, when I'm supposed to get the hell out. "Ouch!" I fell on the floor, and looked at the man I just crashed into. "Oops, I'm sorry sir, I wasn't watching my step." I had to get this over with, quickly. "It's okay." He said grinning, and helped me up. He seemed nice, but he was looking at me in a strange way. I checked my guitar. Luckily, it wasn't broken. "Why were you running anyway?" He asked. Darn it, busted. Okay, I've got to think of something, quickly. "Well, I was in a hurry." I said, lying like Sophie taught me. He grinned. "I'm sure you were. Now, I've got to go, I'm late as well." He patted me on the head and walked past me, to the room I just left.

That was… weird. But it was quick, which is exactly as I planned. I turned around to see where the man went. He was standing near a door, the door of the apartment I just left. A group of agents had already gathered there, and I felt my jaw drop. Oh dear, this wasn't good. "NYPD." I heard one say. "And just NY." The man who I just crashed into said. Oh no, what to do now? If he found out I was with them I'd get arrested. But I had to help them somehow. I couldn't help them from jail, and they'd be able to contact us through coms. Or so I hoped.

I decided to run away, to the van. At least I'd be safe there. Hardison and Parker'd be able to think of a plan, I was sure about that. I jumped down the stairs, and sprinted out of the building. As I jumped into the van, Hardison turned around. "Eri, what the hell? Where are Eliot, Nate and Sophie? And what's with all the cops?" "Drive, I'll explain later." I panted, and fell down in the backseat. He nodded, and drove away.

"So, what happened?" He asked me. I sighed. "Well, the mark didn't show up, instead, 2 heavy guys with guns appeared. Eliot hit them, Nate told me to run, and I…" I sighed embarrassed, "I crashed into someone. But that doesn't matter. I saw the cops show up in front of the door, and decided to run, get you and Parker-" I paused. Parker didn't know yet. She should be going, quickly.

"Parker!" I called through coms. "Parker! Where are you?" No response. Dammit. They probably caught her too. Hardison had parked the van in front of the headquarters, and looked at me, clearly worried. I started to sob a bit, and closed my eyes. Parker, Nate, Sophie and Eliot were all caught, and I was sure Hardison and I were next, if we tried to bail them out. Yet again, they needed to be freed.

I looked at Hardison. "Do you guys still have some of the money from your first job?" He nodded. "We can use the money to release them." He shook his head. "We don't have enough money. We can bail one of them out, maybe two, but not all four." "Then we should at least plaid our case." I protested. "And get caught as well?"

I nodded, with a big Eri smile on my face. I knew everybody was sensitive for that one, especially Hardison. Finally, he started the van and drove away. "I must be crazy doing this." He muttered, and I grin, still worried about the team. I wasn't sure we'd save them one way or another. Good side always wins. But, now it was good side v/s good side v/s bad side. I wondered what the outcome'd be.


	4. Trapped, and unwelcome visitors

**Chapter 4: Trapped, and (un)welcome visitors**

**Okay, jail isn't your favorite place, right? So how do Sophie, Nate and Eliot think about being in jail? Yeeeees, here's SOME of the Nate-Sophie I promised, but NOT much, and I'm a TERRIBLE romance writer… but hey, it's something, and I've only just begun. Also, we get 2 visitors. One welcome, one unwelcome. Hint: it's both Castle related +.+**

**Disclaimer: don't you know it by now?**

"I don't like this." Eliot walked up and down in cell. "Could you just stop doing that?" Sophie asked him. "No, I can't! Being locked up like this, I don't like it." "Ah, come on. Like you've never been in jail before." "Oh, I forgot, this is all new to you, isn't it. 'Cause the only one who ever got close enough to catch you was Nate and-" "Don't you DARE finish that sentence Eliot. I'm warning you!" But deep inside she knew he was right. She never got caught before, and she felt really stupid now she had. On the bright side, she was trapped with Nate, which wasn't all that bad. On the bad side, Eliot was there too. And not just that, there were cameras and guards… She'd be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed.

"Both of you, SHUT UP!" Nate exclaimed. Jail wasn't his favorite place, and 2 bickering teammates didn't make it any better. Of course, he didn't mind Sophie being here as well, but now she's bickering with Eliot… He wasn't too pleased with Eliot being here, that's for sure.

Meanwhile, at the precinct, Beckett was finishing her report, while Ryan and Esposito were searching for the missing girl. Castle was observing Beckett, as always.

Beckett sighed. "Castle, could you stop staring at me like that?" He laughed. "I'm sorry detective. Like I said, I've got to do my research." "And like I said, you've been doing research for almost 2 years now." Not that she minded him around of course. But he could be this childish sometimes. Not to mention, she couldn't concentrate with him staring like this. "And like I said before, I've got to keep doing my research for at least 3 more years." Castle said, grinning.

was about to make another comment, when she saw a redheaded girl walking into the precinct. She smiled. "I think you've got a visitor Castle." He was surprised to see his daughter here, and rushed towards her. "Alexis, what's wrong? Did anything happen to you?" She shook her head. "I'm fine dad. School ended early, and since I told my friends I'd meet up with them in 4 hours, I've go some spare time. So I decided to drop by, to see if I can help you with anything." She looked at her father, and smiled. "So, what's the case this time? Nothing too terrible I hope."

Beckett got up from her chair and walked towards the 2 Castles. "Oh, hi detective." Alexis said, smiling at her. "I was just asking my dad about the current case, to see if I could help with anything." Beckett smiled. "I don't think that'll be necessary. It was a harassment case, we already got the suspects. We are, however, still missing a girl who was involved as well. Well, she ran into one of us," She turned to Castle as she said that, "But she got away. We've got no idea where she is now." Alexis seemed very worried. "How old is she?"

Beckett shrugged. "14, 15 at most. She looks pretty weird. Short, blue hair with pink highlights. A little tomboyish. Oh, and she probably carries a guitar." Alexis turned to her father. "And she was harassing people? That's weird, you wouldn't expect that."

"Well, it's true my dear. Those people are thieves, each and every one of them." Beckett, Alexis and Rick turned around and stared into the face of Will Sorenson, a FBI agent. Will smiled. "Hi kate, nice to see you again. Writermonkey." He turned to Alexis. "And you must be his daughter. It's a pleasure to meet you." Alexis nodded. "Same here, mister…" "Sorenson, Will Sorenson." He stuck out his and, and Alexis took it. "Alexis Castle." He smiled, and Rick coughed. "Anyway," Will continued, "You've got 2 of my suspects. We'd like to take them to the FBI office for questioning."

~TBC~

**A/N: did I just… Get leverage into even more trouble? Is the entire team going to jail now? And how the HELL did that Sorenson-dude end up in my story? Did I just OKAYED him calling Castle 'Writermonkey'? Have I officially lost my mind? Probably, I have. I hope Kate's got more guts then Castle, 'cause SOMEONE has got to kick this guy OUT of my story!! (before you aks, YEEEEES, I hate the guy).**


	5. Double, Double, toil and trouble

**Chapter 5: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble**

"Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet-" "SHUT UP!" Hardison screamed. "You're driving me crazy with your 'are we there yet's" Eri shrugged. "So? I'm impatient, you know about that." Hardison sighed, and drove towards the office of Corwell Productions. They had finally been able to contact Parker, and they'd pick her up there.

As she jumped into the van, she looked at Eri and Hardison. "Just 2 of you? What happened to Eliot, Sophie and Nate?" Hardison sighed. "We already told you. They got caught defending themselves." "So, we'er gonna buy them out." Eri chimed in, smiling. "Correction, SHE's gonna buy them out." Hardison said. "You can go with her if you want to, but I wouldn't recommend it." Parker looked from Hadison to Eri. "Sure, I'll go." Hardison groaned. "Okay, go ahead. I'll even come with you. But I'm NOT gonna be the bait. Just so you know." Eri looked at Parker, and they both smiled. Hardison couldn't see them, but he just KNEW he was in trouble.

"Excuse me?!" Beckett looked at Will like he had just lost his mind. "They're suspects to our case. Why would you take them with you? Or does the FBI do harassment charges as well?" Will laughed. "Kate, Kate, still this naïve. Those people are wanted all over the World. Like I said, they're thieves."

*****

Eri happily hopped into the precinct, holding a bag full of cash. The plan was to buy Nate out, and let him think of a plan to get Sophie and Eliot out as well. She stopped as she saw a man talking with the agent. His jacket said FBI. 'This…. Can't be good.' She thought and contacted Parker and Hardison. "Guys? Time for plan B."

**********

"Thieves?" Beckett started. "What are you-" but he interrupted her as he took a couple of files. "Sophie Devereaux, grifter, wanted in entire Europe. Eliot Spencer, a real fighter, wanted for several murders and deals. And then we have Nathan Ford. Ex insurance investigator, used to work for IYS insurance, but quit after his son died. He's been chasing both of them one time or another, and now he's getting caught with them?" He shook his head. "They're thieves, they're coming with me." Kate nodded; she knew she didn't stand a chance. Suddenly, they heard a loud wistle, and everyone turned around. "HEY, COPLOSERS!" A tiny voice screamed. "Lookin' for me?!" They saw a little girl with blue hair and pink highlight. She was standing on one of the empty desks. "Come get me!" She shouted challenging.

"GET HER!" Will shouted. Everybody got up and Eri ran as fast as she could. She zigzagged between the desks and ran through the hallway, with a lot of cops following her. Small as she was, she was able to avoid a lot of cops, and she managed to get to the door, where she was blocked by a wall of agents. The only problem was, she didn't see them. "Itaiiiiiiiiiii." She moaned, as she fell with her head on the cold, hard floor. When she opened her eyes, she stared right into the face of Will Sorenson, who smiled victoriously. Eri frowned, as she studied the man. "Geez, you're ugly. No wonder you have to Chase badguys all the time, they keep running away for your face!" She said to the man, hearing laughter all around her. As she rubbed the back of her head, she groaned; She could feel a swelling the size of an egg on her head. But no blood, as far as she could see. She hoped Nate, Eliot and Sophie got out already. As she got pulled from the ground by Sorenson, she was cuffed and dragged towards the cells.

Castle looked at Beckett, and grinned. "Admit it. For a thief, she has style." Beckett tried not to smile, but failed. For once, he was right.

*********

"You did WHAT?!" Hardison groaned, and Parker just shrugged. "It was all her idea. And we figured we had to get you guys out to think of a plan." Nate sighed, he knew they were right. Parker smiled, and looked at Nate. "So, what are we gonna do now?" "Well, she's trapped at a Police station, right? So, let's steal us a police station."

**Okay, so Chapter 5's up now. I haven't had this many reviews, but please tell me what you think. This is my first fic, but I'll take ANYTHING as a review. Also, tell me what you think of Eri. If you guys like her, she'll probably show up in more of my fics...... or not. I'll see xD**


	6. Air guitars and tied hands

**Chapter 6: Air guitars and tied hands**

This sucked. Prison cells were cold, smelly, fashion disabled, and without her guitar, extremely boring. Still, she wasn't the person to just sit around and wait for what they were going to do to her. First thing on her list: get out. After checking every square millimeter of her cell, she decided there was no way she would be able to get out on her own. She didn't have a paper- or hairclip to fake the key, and the window was too far way. Therefore, she decided the best thing was to entertain herself, while she waited for someone to open the door. Without her guitar, this was going to be quite hard. Unless….

Eri smiled, and started humming the first song that came to her mind, 'Kanashimi Twilight,' and started playing the air-guitar. As the song continued, she started singing and dancing along too. And before she knew it, she was shouting along, with all eyes aimed at her. _"Watashi nanka nanka yume miteta__. __Nanka nanka noboseteta__. __Ayamararete mo imi ga nai!"_ This also alerted detective Beckett and her tag-along Richard Castle.

When Eri hit the last accord on her air-guitar, they had walked towards the cell she was in and clapped their hands slowly. Eri panted and looked up at them. "Are you guys here to get me out? 'Cause I sure hope so; this place is boring as hell!" Kate shook her head. "No, I just came down here to listen. You have quite a decent voice." Eri grinned. "You should hear me when I've got my guitar. But for some reason, you guys took it from me." "Well, we can't have a little rat like you escaping from this place now, can we?" Sorenson's voice sounded from behind Kate, and all 3 groaned.

"Oh god, it's the fed." "And the 'fed' is going to ask you to sit your ass down and shut the hell up." Eri sighed, and sat down cross-legged on the floor. "I'm sorry, I didn't know having fun was a crime." After saying that, she crossed her arms and refused to say anything else.

Beckett, Castle and Sorenson let the girl be and walked back upstairs. "You didn't have to do that." Beckett said. "Didn't I, Kate? The brat challenged us, called us cop-losers!" "Don't forget the part where she almost beat you." Castle added grinning. "Yeah, almost, writermonkey. Almost." "Don't call him writermonkey! Now, what the hell is it that you want with this girl Sorenson?"

"She cooperated in the escape of 3 criminals, and insulted a federal agent." "And you let her, that's the funny part." Castle flashed his signature smile at Beckett, who chuckled. "But now we've got the girl, the criminals will come to rescue her. And if they don't, the kid will probably be here for a very long time." "That's just sick bro." Esposito and Ryan walked towards the trio, looking quite unpleased. "Yeah. Holding a 16 year old girl because she helped in the escape of 3 people from whom we only _suspect_ they're criminals, that's low. Even for the FBI." "That's not low, that's protocol. I'm really sorry, but my hands are tied."

"Beckett?" Kate Beckett sighed saddened, shaking her head. "I'm afraid he's right. As much as I hate it, we can't do anything. She's in deep trouble."

Meanwhile Nate, Sophie, Hardison, Eliot and Parker were sitting in the van Lucille. "Okay, so let's get this straight first. We were supposed to take Max Corwell down for screwing with Eri and her girlband, but he knew we were coming, so he set us up with an assault charge. Then Parker, Hardison and Eri planned our escape, and Eri got caught, and the FBI got involved as well, concerning our… background." "So we have to find a way to take down Corwell, get Eri her money and status back, and get the FBI off our tail at the same time." Sophie added. "So Nate, what's the plan?"

"Hardison, you and Parker get Eri out of prison. Sophie, you set up another meeting with Corwell. Tell him you've got another client for him, named Kenneth Crane. This means Eliot's going with you. I presented Eri last time, so if we're lucky, he won't recognize you. Sophie… You call Tara, and fill her in on what happened. We'll need her help here."

Japanese-English translation: I dreamt of something. Been dazed of something. There is no meaning to it, even if apologized.

**Yes guys, Tara is going to show up in this fic. I kinda liked her after the Leverage season 2 finale, and I really respect her. If you hate her: please try and respect her, since she's necessary for this story to work. And, I'm really sorry for not updating in so long. I can tell lies about how I was too busy and stuff, but I'm just gonna be honest and say I simply didn't feel like writing. I noticed this story wasn't making sense anymore, but I'm not gonna change it and I'll try to turn it into something nice. I've got no idea how this is going to unfold, but I don't care. The song Eri was singing is called Kanashimi Twilight, sung by the J-pop group Morning Musume.**

**ANYWAY, please review (= They make me smile, and I like to smile.**


	7. Killer Horses and new old faces

**Chapter 7 – Killer horses and new old faces**

**A/N: WAA! My first time writing a con, and I'm SUPER nervous! I have to write another con soon, too, for a Leverage-based story my friend and I are working on, so PLEASE tell me what you think about this one. Reviewers get some virtual cookies and a virtual hug! **

It didn't take long for Tara to arrive in New York. As it turned out, she was already in the area, planning a con at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After hearing Sophie's story, she was only happy to help, and before she knew it, she was at the meeting, waiting for Corwell to arrive.

"Remember, Tara. We want him to see Eliot as a new investment. Make sure he's highly impressed, and try to get as much promises out of the guy as possible." "Relax Soph, I've done these kinds of things before, remember?" It sort of bothered Tara that her friend didn't have that much faith in her. She had come here on her own to help them out, that must count for something, right? But she also knew the team still didn't completely trust her. Why would they, after conning them twice.

"Okay, okay. Just be careful you don't overdo it." Tara was just about to reply when Max Corwell walked into the room. "Miss Cole, how nice to see you here. I believe you said you're the manager of a rising star named Kenneth Crane?" Tara got up and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too, mister Corwell. And yes, I am. I strongly believe he could break through very quickly, if he had the right amount of money to do so. So when I noticed what you could do for people like him, I immediately called to set up a meeting."

"Straight to business huh? I like that. So tell me, miss Cole. Why should I pick Kenneth as my new rising star?" Tara smiled and took a CD out of her bag. "This is his demo CD. Maybe it's best if you just listen to his singing." Corwell nodded. "Very well, let's hear if he's got as much talent as you claim he does." He took the CD out of it's casing, and put it into the computer. A few seconds later, the House Rules started playing, and Corwell frowned. "This is country music. I specialize in pop and rock, miss Cole. Why would I want to take him!"

"_Because_ you specialize in pop and rock, mister Corwell. Country music is a big no-no around here, but Kenneth hasn't got that many other songs to sing. I was hoping maybe you could provide some songs, to make a star out of the boy." "He's got the voice to do so, I agree. But you also know such actions won't be free." He got up from his chair and walked towards the door. "You know what, I'll think about it, and I'll give you a call tomorrow." Tara nodded and got up as well. "Seems like a good idea to me." She said, before leaving through the door Max Corwell had opened for her. "I'll be waiting for your phone call."

"This is not what I meant, Tara." She heard Sophie complain as soon as she left. "You were supposed to present Kenneth as a valuable singer. And such 'callbacks' will never work!" "Have some faith, Soph. He kept the demo CD, and judging by his body language, he'll call back and accept the offer. I can work from there. Now where's that van, I thought you were supposed to pick me up from here."

"I still don't understand why she had to shut up. Her singing was okay enough, and it's not like that place is much fun." "She had to shut up because that place isn't that much fun. It's not a theme park Castle, it's not supposed to be fun." Beckett and Castle were sitting in front of the murder board, studying the case they had been working on before they got called out on that harassment incident. "And I still think this doesn't make sense." She added. "Our victim was clearly hit by something heavy, but we never found the murder weapon, which makes it impossible to tie someone to this murder."

"This means we're missing something. And someone… Where did Sorenson go?" "Oh, he said he got a call from the bureau, about some weird serial killer case. He said there would be 2 other FBI agents to pick up the guitar girl." Just as Beckett said that, Ryan walked in, followed by 2 FBI agents. "Beckett, these are the 2 Sorenson sent, special-" But Hardison cut him short. "Special agent Thomas, and this is my partner, special agent Hagen. We're here for the thief girl."

"I'm Kate Beckett, and this is my partner, Richard Castle, the novelist." "But I'm sure they already know that." Castle added. "Actually, we didn't, but that's not why we're here. Not let's get a move on with that brat, there are other cases we have to assist in." "Yeah, like the killer horse." Parker added. Castle frowned. "I thought it was the horsekiller?" "Parker blinked, but as usual, Hardison quickly caught on. "That's what she meant! Are you questioning our authority? 'Cause if you are, we can have you reported. And don't think I won't do that just because I'm Jewish. It's because I'm Jewish right? No respect man, no respect."

"No, I, that's not-" But Kate glared at him, meaning he should shut up. "We're sorry agent Thomas." "Special agent Thomas." "Special agent Thomas." She continued. "But he's not... too bright. Now, let's just take you to the girl, an get this all over with, okay?" She got up from her desk and walked towards the holding cells, with Castle and Hardison following her, and Parker hopping behind them.

"I thought I was the thief girl." She whispered to Hardison, who shook his head. "Not now, Parker, stay in character. We don't want any of you to end up in one of those cells as well." She heard Nate's voice through coms. Parker shrugged and started walking in stead of hopping. "And I really did mean the killer horse." She muttered.

After her air-guitar performance in her holding cell, Eri had gotten her hands on a harmonica from one of the other inmates. She wasn't a good harmonica player, but she thought of it as a nice way to practice. So now she was sitting on the floor, playing a blues song, which wasn't that much of a song. It was more of a combination of short sentences, with a blues tune in between.

"I'm sitting here. On the prison floor. Because a stupid fedpig. Named whatever. Put me here. Now I'm playing the harmonica. Because I refuse to listen to a fed!" She sighed and put the harmonica away. She knew she sounded like some kind of drunk cat, and the lyrics were pretty much depressing her. So she decided to sing a more cheerful song, which still fitted the current scenery. But before she could do that, she spotted Castle and Beckett walking towards her holding cell, followed by 2 FBI agents. She immediately jumped into defense mode, ready to escape as soon as the door opened.

"Okay Eri, these people are special agent Thomas and special agent Hagen, they were sent here by the FBI to take you to their offices." "More feds huh? Well, I've got some news for ya, I'm not going!" She shouted, and judging by her body language, she indeed had no intention in following the 2 FBI agents. But after catching Hardison's eye, she quickly caught on.

"You have nothing to want, you just have to do as we say. Detective, open the cell please." As soon as Beckett opened the cell, Eri burst forward in a attempt to flee, but was quickly stopped by Parker and Castle. This, however, didn't stop her from kicking and screaming, so it took a while for Hardison to cuff her. After a few kicks in the stomach, and lots of scratches on his arms, he managed to finish, and everyone helped her up. Eri flashed angry looks at everyone around her. "I hate you all." Was all she said, before she shut up again. "Don't worry girl, we don't like you either." Hardison said, before he and Parker started dragging Eri away. "Detective Beckett, mister Castle, it was a real pleasure, but we'll be going now." "Yeah, killer horse to catch." Parker added. "Horse killer!" Everyone shouted, and Parker shrugged. "Yeah… that's what I meant." She said, and Hardison shook his head.

"Well, special agent Thomas, special agent Hagen, I wish you the best of luck in catching that killer." "Yes, and thanks for visiting. Hey, I can use this information in a new Nikki Heat novel. Together with the info about agents Shaw and Sorenson. Federal Heat is still an option. Or… maybe not." He added, when he saw Beckett glaring. Parker and Hardison only looked confused. "Yeah, emm… we've really got to go now, so…" He and Parker dragged Eri along, and Castle and Beckett returned to their murder board. "At least think about it!" They heard Castle say, which was followed by an inaudible reply from Beckett. "What was that all about?" Parker wondered. Hardison shrugged. "Beats me. And next time, can you please make this a little more easy on us?" He asked Eri, who was grinning like crazy. "Now where's the fun in that?"

**A/N: Longest. Chapter. So. Far. Woah. I hadn't expected this when I started writing ._. Anyway, like I said before: I need some practice writing cons, so please tell me what was good about this, and what could have been better. And I just want to thank the people reviewing so far, you guys are great. You also get a thank you from the creator of Eri, who especially liked the comment about Eri being 'classy'.**


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